Conveyer mechanism



NOV. 28,1944. w YOUNG ETAL 2,363,920

CONVEYER MECHANISM Filed 001;. 2, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuwwbomd Emma 14 Jbwvc F530 5. FAY

Nov. 28, 1944.- R, w. YOUNG ETAL 7 2,363,920

CONVEYER MEGHANI SM Filed Oct. 2, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 81684450 I4. Jbwva FRED .8. E4?

wawpz N vzs, 1944. R. w. YOUNG Em 2,363,920

GONVEYER MECHANISM Filed Oct. 2, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 RICHARD W You/Va Ham 5. E4?

7 NOV. 28, 1944. w YOUNG ETAL 2,363,920

CONVEYER MECHANISM Filed dot. 2, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 84 B3 55 20 as /9 fi/ sz h l9 h I LWJ 1. 23 45 3/ 8101mm W. You/Va FRED 5. E4?

. convolutions of th'ebundles.

Patented Nov. 28, 1944 convnrna MECHANISM Richard W. Young and Fred B. Fay, Worcester, Mass, assignors to Morgan Construction Com-fl pany', WorcestencMasa, a corporation of Massachusetts l Applicationoctober 2,1943, Serial No. 504,722

Claims. (01. 198 -24.)

" This invention relates to conveyer mechanism. and more particularly tomechanism for conveyingannular articles, .suchas coils or bundles of metal rod.

In a. rolling mill for the production of rod,

trough l 6 having a central longitudinal slot ll through which a series of dogs l9 and 20 project upwardly. The dogs l9 alternate with the dogs it is the practice to coil the rod, while still at a high temperature, into annularbundles. These bundles are deposited flatwise upon a substantially horizontalconveyer from which they are transferred to a second substantially horizontal conveyer extending across the discharge end of the first'conveye'r. Difficulties have been encountered heretofore in effecting suchtransfer. Certain prior mechanisms have failed to impart a sufficiently positive motion to the bundles, and in some cases the convolutions of the bundles haveat times been disarranged b-ythe transfer mechanism. 1 1 .It is accordingly one object of the inventionto overcome thes'edifliculties and" to provide a con veyer mechanism which will handle annular rod bundles or the like in a thoroughly fdepend able manner. Y I Y Itis a further object of the invention to provide an improved mechanism which will serveto transfer annular rod bundles or the like in a positive manner from one conveyer to another.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved mechanism which Will serve totransfer annular rod bundles or the like flatwise from one conveyer to another without d'isarrangingthe With these and other objects inview, as will be apparent to those skilled in theart, the invention residesin the combination of parts set Referring to the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts, 7

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an improved conveyer mechanism particularly arranged for handling annular coils or bundlesof rod; l l

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism;

Fig. 3 isa section onthe line3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;1'

1. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1;.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views similar to Fig.5 but showing the mechanism in different phases of its operating cycle; i

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view in sectiononthe line 9--9 ofFig.3; and l Fig. 10 is anenlargeddetail of a rotarycam.

In the drawings there is shown a delivery conveyer. l5 comprising a substantially horizontal achain and sprocket drive 28,

Acrossthe discharge end of the conveyer \l5 2|], andboth series ofdogs are mounted upon an endless chain 2| which passes around a sprocket wheel 23 located near the discharge'end. of the. conveyer. This wheel 23 has apitch circumference equal to the distance between successive dogs 20, and it is mounted upon a transverse hori- 1 zontal shaft 24 which is rotatably supported beneath the trough ltfby means of two axially spaced bearings 25.,This shaft is driven from a l driving shaft 2! (Fig. 2) through the medium of in such a manner that the dogsl9 will extend upwardly into the central openings in the bundles and pull them. alongthe trough. As each dog l9 reaches thesprocket wheel 23 andpa'sses downwardly out of the bundle (as shown in Fig. 8) the bundlewill come to. rest for a brief moment until the following dog2fl engages the bundle frombehind. and pushes it forward to a position close to.

1 e the receiving trough. 31 (as shown in-Fig. 5).

forthin the specification and covered by the .claims appended hereto. l l

is provided an upright arm 3lwhich is pivotally Means is provided to transfer each bundle with a comparatively rapid motion from the delivery trough l6 into the path of the dogs 34 in the receiving trough 3l, so that a pair of these dogs may push the bundle along the conveyer 30. For this purpose the delivery trough I6 is provided with two longitudinally extending slots 36 located on opposite sides of the central slot I l and in overlapping relationship therewithias shown. in Fig.1). These slots 36 extend forwardly into the receiving trough 3| Beneath each slot 36 there I suppflrted at its lower end so that the arms can swing forwardlyand rearwardly. Preferably the lower end of each arm issecured to a sleevemember 38 (Fig. 3), the two sleeve members being mounted in axially spaced relation upon a trans- 1 verse horizontal shaft 40-carried in bearings M. The shaft extends throughthe. sleeve members and .is free to turn therein through a limited angle, aswill be explainedhereinafter. The two EN FICE arms are rigidly connected by a bracket 42 (Fig. 3) so that they will swing as a unit. Upon the upper end of each arm 3! there is pivoted a lever 44, which is shaped to provide a, rearwardly projecting finger 45. These fingers can be swung upwardly through the slots 36 to serve as pushers the direction of travel. The check valve and 19 will permit the cylinder to fill readily behind the piston, thus avoiding the creation of a vacuum.

The operation of the invention will now be apparent from the above disclosure. The rod bundles will be pulled along the trough l6 of the conveyer'lS by the dogs l9, and as each dog [9 passes downwardly around the sprocket wheel 23 and out of its bundle the following dog will push the bundle ahead. In Figs. 1 to 5 inthe arm 48, each lug having an adjustable screw 58 mounted therein. These parts are so arranged that when the arm 48 swings upwardly into engagement with the upper screws, it will lower the fingers 45, and when the arm swings downwardly into engagement with the lower screws, it will raise the fingers 45 through the slots 36. This construction provides an adjustable lost-motion connection between the shaft and the arms 31,

An oscillating motion is imparted to the shaft veyer shaft 24. For this purpose a cam 52 is keyed to one end of the shaft 24, this cam having a groove 53 in its outer face for the reception of a cam roller or follower 54 (Fig. 3) mounted on an upright bar 56. This bar is slidably supported in a stationary guideway 51. The lower end of the bar 56 is connected by a link 56 to an arm 59 which is keyed to one end of the shaft 40 and extends rearwardly therefrom. As the cam rotates, the bar 56 will be moved up and down, and the shaft 40 will be oscillated in the manner desired.

It is important to preventthe arms 3'! from assuming an incorrect position relative to the arm 48, under the influence of gravity; when they pass over the top of the shaft 40, as otherwise the fingers would be incorrectly positioned in relationship to the slots 36. In order to avoid this possibility, the arms 31 are connected to a hydraulic dashpot mechanism 6i arranged to impart a yielding resistance to the movement of the arms at such times as gravity tends to accelerate such movement. As best shown in Fig. 9, this mechanism 6| comprises a generally horizontal cylinder 62 which is carried by horizontal trunnions 63 in a stationary support 64 behind the arms 31. Within the cylinder there is provided a slidable piston 66 from which a piston rod 61 extends forwardly to connect with the bracket 42. The cylinder is formed intermediate its length with a port 69 which is connected through a flexible conduit 10 to an oilreservoir H. The rear end of the cylinder is connected through a flexible conduit 13 and a pressure relief valve 14 to the reservoir, the valve 14 being by-passed by a check valve 75 which opens in the direction of flow toward the cylinder. The front end of the cylinder is connected through a flexible conduit 11 and a pressure relief valve 18 to the reservoir, the valve 18 being by-passed by a check valve 19 which opens in the direction of flow toward the cylinder. These parts are so arranged that the piston 66 will pass the port 69 at about the same time as the arms 31 pass over the shaft 48, so that further movement of these arms will be resisted by the pressure of the oil as it is compelled to flow through one or the other of the pressure relief valves 14 and 18, depending upon '40 in timed relation with the rotation of the conail) forward travel.

clusive, one'of the dogs 20 has reached the wheel 23, and the corresponding bundle B2 has been pushed forwardly to a position close to the transverse receiving conveyer 30. At this time the bar 56 will have reached the bottom of its stroke, and the arm 48 will be at the top of its arc of travel and in contact with the upper screws 50. The fingers 45 will be retracted, as shown in Fig. 5, and the arms 31 will be in their rearmost positions. As the shaft 24 continues to rotate, the cam 52will raise the bar 56, at first ver rapidly and then somewhat more gradually, thus turning the shaft 40 and swinging the arm 48 downwardly. During the initial rapid portion of this movement, the arm 48 will tip the levers 44 and project the fingers 45 upwardly through the slots 36 until all the lost motion is taken up, as indi-' cated in Fig. 6, and the arm comes into'contact with the lower screws 58. The continued downward movement of the arm 48 will swing the arms 3Iforwardly, the fingers =45 pushing the bundle B2 ahead of them until the bar 56 reaches the top of its stroke and the arms 37 are at their limit of At this time the bundle B2 will be located in the center of the receiving trough 3|, as shown in Fig. '7, in position to be engaged by the next'pair of dog 34. As the arms 3'! pass over the top of the shaft 40 during this forward movement, the piston 66 of the dashpot 6| will pass the cylinder port 69 and then force the oil outwardly from the front portion of the cylinder 62 through the relief valve 18. This will resist the forward movement of the arms 31 and prevent gravity from swinging them ahead faster than the arm 48 is moving, which would cause a premature retraction of the fingers 45. After the bundle has been properly deposited in the receiving trough 3|, the continued rotation of the cam 52 will lower the bar 56 and raise the arm 48. This will first retract the fingers 45, as shown in Fig. 8, so that they cannot interfere with the on-coming bundle B3. The arm 48 will now be in contact with the upper screws 50, and its con- I tinued upward movement will carry the arms 3'! rearwardly until they have reached their original position in readiness for the next cycle. During this rearward movement, the dashpot piston 66 will again pass the cylinder port 69, and oil from the rear portion of the cylinder 62 will be forced through the relief valve 14. This will create sufficient resistance to counteract the effect of gravity on the arms 31, and thereby prevent premature raising of the fingers 45.

The invention provides a comparatively simple and dependable power-actuated mechanism whereby the rod bundles are positively transferred from the delivery conveyer to the receiving conveyer. Furthermore the finger 45 are held in a retracted position throughout, the return movement, so that they cannot engage the on-coming claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Conveyer mechanism for handling articles,

j such as annular rod bundles or the like, compris ing a receiving conveyer, a substantially horizon-' tal delivery trough leading to the conveyer, the

trough having a longitudinal slot therein adjacent the conveyer, means to move articles along the trough to a position over the slot, anupright arm located beneath the trough and pivotally supported at itslower end, a finger mounted on the upper end of the arm in line with the slot,

power actuated means having a lost motion'com nection with the arm arranged to swing the arm forwardly and rearwardly with a positive motion in timed relationship with the arrival of the artiales, and a connection from the power actuated means to the finger arranged to projectthe finger upwardly through the slot as the lost motion is taken up prior to each forward movement of the: arm and to retract the finger as the lost motion is taken up prior to each rearward movement of the arm, the finger serving to push the articles forwardly to the receiving conveyer as the arm swings forwardly.

2. Conveyer mechanism for handlin articles, such as annular rod bundles or the like, comprising a receiving conveyer, a substantially horizontal delivery trough leading to the conveyor, the

trough having a longitudinal slot therein adjacent the conveyer, means to move articles along the trough to a position over the slot, an upright arm located beneaththe trough and pivotally supported at its lower end, a fingermounted on the upper end of the arm in line with the slot,

ing a receiving conveyer, a substantially horizonmotion, and means connecting the shaft to the finger arranged to project the finger upwardly through the slot as the lost motion is taken up prior to each forward movement of the arm and to retract the finger as the lost motion is taken up prior to, each rearwardmovement ofthearm,

the finger serving to push the articles forwardly, to the receiving conveyor as the arm swings forwardly. a I

4. Conveyer mechanism for handling articles, such as annular rodbundles or the like, compristal delivery trough leading to the conveyer, the trough having a longitudinal slot therein adjacent the conveyer, means to move articles along thetrough to a position over the slot, a substantially horizontal transverse shaft beneath the trough, an upright arm located beneath the trough and pivotally supported at its lower end on the shaft, a lever pivotally mounted on the upper end of the arm and shaped toprovide a l to oscillate the shaft in timed relationshipwith the arrival of the articles, a lost-motion connecarranged to swing the finger upwardlythrough finger in line with the slot, power actuated means tion from the shaft to the-arm to swing the arm forwardly and rearwardly with a positive motion, a lever arm secured to the shaft, and a link connecting the lever arm with the said lever and the slot as the lost motion'is takenupprior to each forward movement of the upright arm and to retract the finger as the lost motion. is taken up prior to each rearward movement of the uppower actuated means having a lost motion connection with the arm arranged to swing the arm forwardly and rearwardly with a positive motioni in timed relationship with the arrival of the articles, a connection from the power actuated means to the finger arrangedto project the finger upwardly through the slot as the lost motion is taken up prior to each forward movement of the nected to the arm and arranged to impose a yielding resistancetothe movements thereof.

such as annular rod bundles or the like, comprising a receiving conveyer, a substantially horizon? tal delivery trough leading to the conveyer, the

trough having a longitudinal slot therein adjacent the conveyer, means to move articles along r the trough to a position over the slot, a substan I tially horizontal transverse shaft beneath the trough, an upright arm located beneath the trough and pivotally supported at its lower end on the shaft, a finger mounted on the upper end of the arm in line with the slot,'power actuated means to oscillate the shaft in timed relationship i with the arrival of the articles, a lost-motion connection from the shaft to the arm to swing the arm forwardly and rearwardly with a positive right arm, the finger serving to push th articles forwardly to the receiving conveyer as the upright arm swings forwardly.

5. Conveyer mechanism for handling articles,

such as annular rod bundles or the like, comprising a receiving conveyer, a substantially horizontal delivery trough leading to the conveyer, the trough having a longitudinal slot therein adjacent the conveyer, a power-driven rotatable shaft beneath the trough, dogs actuated by the shaft tomove articles along the trough to a position over the slot, a cam mounted on the shaft, a cam follower actuated by the cam, a substantially horizontal transverse shaft beneath the trough,

means connecting the cam follower to the trans- 3 verse shaft to oscillate the same in timed relationship withthe arrival of the articles, an upright arm located beneath the trough and piv- 3. Conveyer mechanism for handling articles,

otally supported ,at its lower end on the transverseshaft, a finger mounted on the upper end a of the arm in line with the slot, a lost-motion connection from the transverse shaft to the arm to swing the arm forwardly and rearwardly with a positive motion, and means connecting the transverse shaft to the finger arranged to project the finger upwardly through the slot as the lost motion is taken up prior to each forward movement of the arm and to retract the finger as the lost motion istaken up prior to each rearward movement of the arm, the finger servingtto push the articles forwardly to the receiving conveyer 

